Center-bearing for railroad-cars



INVENTOH Ma 8) A770RNEYS.

Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

I S WALTERS CENTER BEARING run RAILROAD CARS. No. 538,563.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: fir/@024,

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

SAMUEL WALTERSQOF WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CENTER-BEARING FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,563, dated April 30, 1895.

Application filed May 19,1894. Serial No. 511,838. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL WALTERS, of Warren, in the county of Warren and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Oenter-Bearing for Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved center bearing for railroad cars, which is simple and durable in construction, arranged to conveniently lift the car body off of the track without raising the car body a great distance, and to prevent accidental displacement of the car truck and body when the car isin use.

The invention consists of a bottom plate adapted to be fastened to the truck bolster, a top bearing plate adapted to be fastened to the car body and engaging the said bottom plate, and a center pin held in the bottom plate and engaging the said top plate.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details, and combinations of the same,

as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the top plate, and Fig. 4

' is a plan View of the bottom plate with the center-pin in section.

The improved bearing .is provided with a bottom plate A, adapted to be bolted or otherwise fastened to the bolster of the car truck, and the said plateA is formed in its top with a circular recess A, adapted to be engaged by a similarly shaped projection B, formed on the under side of the top plate B, bolted or otherwise fastened to the under side of the car body. The under face of the projection B is preferably concaved and rides on the convex bottom of the circular recess A as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 2.

In the under side of the bottom plate A is formed an opening A for the head 0 of the center pin 0, extending upward and passing into an aperture B formed centrally in the top plate B. The upper end of the pin 0 is formed with a head 0 preferably made substantially semi-circular in shape and fitting into the correspondingly shaped aperture B above mentioned, so that when the plate B turns according to the motion of the car the center pin 0 turns with it.

Now, in order to lock the two plates A and B together, to prevent accidental displacement of the car body and car truck, I provide a longitudinally extending slide D, formed at its inner end with a fork D, engaging the shank of a pin 0 under the head 0 The slide D is fitted to move in a suitable guideway B formed in the plate B, and the end of the guideway B (See Fig. 2.) The outer end of the slide is formed with a head D adapted tobe locked. by a transversely extending pin E to a lug B forming part of the top plate B. Now it will be seen that when the slide D is in a locked position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, then the pin 0 unites the top and bottom plates with each other, at the same time permitting the top plate to turn with its projection B in the recess A of the bottom plate A, allowing trucks to be turned so wheels can be set on sides parallel with body of cars, when only necessary to take out and put in one pair whose space will not permit running trucks out.

When it is desired to run the car truck from under the car body for repairs or for other purposes, then the operator first removes the pin E, to unlock the slideD, and then he pulls the latter out to disconnect the forked end D from the shank of the pin 0. The car body is now lifted up only a short distance; that is, until the under side of the projection B clears the top of the head 0 The car truck can then be run from under the car body.

It will further be seen that the center pin 0 does not pass through the bolster of the car truck, and consequently does not weaken the said bolster, as is so frequently the case with center pins passing through the bolsters of cars as heretofore constructed.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- 1. A bearing for railroad cars, comprising tened to the car body and engaging the said bottom plate, a center pin heldin the bottom plate and engaging the said top plate, and a slide or look bar for locking the said center pin in position to hold the top and bottom plates in a united position, substantially as shown and described.

2. A bearing for railroad cars, comprising a bottom plate adapted to be fastened to the truck bolster, a top plate adapted to be fastened to the car body and engaging the said bottom plate, a center pin held in the bottom plate and engaging the said top plate, a slide orlock bar for locking the said center pin in position to hold the top and bottom plates in aunited position, and means for fastening the said slide to the top plate, substantially as shown and described.

3. A bearing for railroad ears, comprising an apertured bottom plate adapted to be fastened to the truck bolster, an apertured top plate adapted to be fastened to the car body tion, said opening being approximately semicircular, a center pin having a head at each end, one of the heads being approximately semi-circular, and a forked locking plate working in a guide Way in the top plate and engaging the center pin, substantially as described.

SAMUEL WALTERS. Witnesses:

G. B. ROBERTS, O. G. THOMPSON. 

